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The Mackinnon's shrike grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in). The adult male has a greyish-black head and mantle, a white supercilium, white scapulars and black wings. The tail is black with white margins and the underparts are white, sometimes tinged with buff. The female is similar except for having rufous patches on the flanks. The juvenile is greyish-brown and heavily barred.[3]

The Mackinnon's fiscal is found in tropical humid parts of Western and Central Africa, its range including Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.[1] It is found in forest edges, clearings, secondary growth and bushy areas, from sea level up to about 2,200 m (7,200 ft).[3]

The Mackinnon's fiscal has a very wide range and has been described as locally common, although rather more scarce in the eastern end of its range. Its population trend may be upward because it is though to have benefited from deforestation as it thrives in secondary growth and is often to be found in farmland, villages and gardens. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]